Congressional Chorus Appoints New Leadership

American-Prize winner Allan Laiño has been tapped to helm the Chorus as their fourth Artistic Director. As a Filipino-American with wide-ranging musical influences, he aims to reshape the landscape of American choral artistry by creating an environment where all voices can flourish.

Michelle Heslin has been appointed as the Chorus's new Executive Director. Michelle brings with her extensive experience in nonprofit operational and fundraising strategy. She has a contagious passion for programs that foster access and opportunity for underserved populations and encourage lifelong learning.

The Congressional Chorus, a multi-generational family of choruses reflecting the diversity of our nation's capital, champions American music. Our mission is to inspire people to embrace our shared humanity through choral music. The Chorus promotes the choral arts through artistic excellence, innovative performances, and active community engagement.

Since its founding in 1987 by Congressional staff who wanted to share their love of singing by reaching out to the local Capitol Hill community, the Congressional Chorus has grown into an organization performing full concert seasons, serving members and audiences from throughout the metropolitan area. From an original membership of 13, today's family of choruses includes an 80-member auditioned adult chorus, a 24-member a cappella chamber ensemble, and the NorthEast Senior Singers (NESS), a free musical engagement chorus for senior citizens.

The Chorus promotes the expansion of American choral music by commissioning new works from a wide array of American composers and presenting inter-disciplinary concerts involving dance, poetry, and spoken word artists that appeal to an audience of a wide range of ages and interests.

In addition to our annual public performances, our choruses have performed at the White House, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Harman Center for the Arts, Atlas Performing Arts Center, the Library of Congress, National Building Museum, National Archives, Washington Nationals' Ballpark, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Capitol, including two Presidential inaugurations.

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